BoFII: I'll Be Waiting
by Zinbuki-san
Summary: Ryu's just about to leave to go save the world, but he has a few goodbyes to say first. He never knew that his goodbye for Nina would be so hard, or emotional. BoFII, slight RyuNina.


_Heeeeey everyoooone. _

_I'm not updating any of my in-progress fics, omg, plz don't kill me D;_

_But I was pondering over all the RPGs I've played that I've actually FINISHED, which, out of the hundreds of started, has been... two. Okay, one and a half. The second one was beaten but I didn't do the extra part, which aparently is just as long as the first main story part. Yeah. Okay. Whatever._

_The first RPG I beat/only RPG I've ever beaten was Breath of Fire II. What a phenomenal, phenomenal game. I loved every second of it. Sadly, I never got Township to fly (woooeee is meee) and I never found the last shaman. Ah well, I still kicked the badguy's ass and I still did everything else wonderfully, including finding Bleu._

_At any rate, I decided to write a fic for it. _

_There was one line in the game... I can't remember quite how I worded it, but at one point, I believe Nina says something along the lines of "Don't forget me" to Ryu at some point in the game, because Bleu kind of takes her role as the magic-user in the group, and Nina's skills are... well, they are DRASTICALLY secondary to our drunkard, flirty, partying snake-woman's skills. That line of hers made me go "Awwww, Niiinaaaaa," because it was so OMG!yeahwtf. I dunno. I liked it, and it stuck in my head._

_So here we have it, a BoFII fic, with very very slight tones of Ryu/Nina, in which I explore all the feelings Nina put behind her "Don't forget me" in more depth. Because more depth is always ftw._

_But alas, I shall not dustract you with my rambles any further._

**DISCLAIMER: **_If I owned any Breath of Fire, I would have been able to use my miserable self to make Township fly. But I couldn't. ;_; And I also would have made samanized!Katt STAY shamanized, because she looked so cool! Alas, **Capcom owns Breath of Fire II **and the characters found within this fic._

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**I'll Be Waiting  
**_A Breath of Fire II oneshot by Zinbuki-san_

"Well, I'll see ya later then, Ryu!" Bow chirped with a grin.

The blue-haired man smacked his friend gently on the back as he strode out. "That's a promise!"

"Haha, yeah, don't go dying on me! I better see you again, buddy, and I'm serious about that." His tone, for a rare change, switched to a low, serious one. His dog-like eyes fixed on his childhood friend with such intensity that it actually bothered Ryu.

So he stopped, and then turned, all to wipe that unnerving look from his friend's eyes. He had felt guilty about not choosing Bow to go on the last, epic trip with him, but it was understood by both that this was the best. Ryu had to be careful about which skills those accompanying him could use, and he also had to keep the defence of Township in mind while he was away. He trusted Bow better than anyone to keep their town safe while he was away. "I will; don't worry about that. This will not be the last time you see me. I promise I'll return..." he trailed off, just so he could cock a sincere smile. "If this was an outing I really think could kill me, don't you think I'd have you along to save my sorry butt? If this truly was the ultimate adventure I'd never leave you out of it, not even for a second," he shifted back to being serious, "And I'll be back – I don't know when – so we can find that adventure some day."

Bow grinned wolfishly and nodded. "Alright!"

The two old friends waved as Ryu departed from Bow's room. Once he was outside and the door was securely shut, the adventurer and soon-to-be-hero sighed.

Two down, three to go. He had already said his goodbyes to Katt – who had thrown things in rage at being left behind and cursed him loudly for not thinking her worthy enough of such a trip – and now Bow. He still had to say goodbye to Sten, Jean, and Nina. The order in which he would do so would be in whatever order he encountered them.

The three that would be accompanying him (Rand, Spar and Bleu) had already said their goodbyes. While they had, Ryu had made a run to grab some last minute supplies. So they were all waiting in the common room, lounging and chatting casually amongst themselves, enjoying their last few minutes in Township, for this might very well be their last few minutes here.

As he rounded the corner to the stairs, he spotted a familiar furred figure. "Oh! Ryu! Hey man, I was just lookin' for ya! So, y'all ready to go, you lucky dog?" Well, he could cross Sten off the list.

-----

Sten's goodbye had been short and light-hearted, just the way he would have imagined it to be. Jean's had been poetic, dramatic, and riddled with random French, just as it should have been. So now there was only one left... Nina. Ryu honestly didn't enjoy the thought of leaving her behind.

She was the quietest of the bunch, and being around such a dynamic, diverse, generally noisy group, she was always that nice little piece of sanity that kept him from going insane. Keeping that in mind, he had picked who he had picked for his journey primarily for their skills, not their personalities. Luckily, Spar wasn't a loud handful, and Rand, though sometimes rowdy, had a good head on his shoulders. But even so, they _weren't _Nina – they weren't calm, reserved, speaking only when needed, and they weren't quite so understanding as only she could be. It was true that he would miss all of his friends, but he was going to miss the black-winged princess for different reasons.

He had only picked Bleu over Nina because the serpentine woman's knowledge of the magical arts was slightly more advanced. And, in this mission, even the slightest bit of additional skill would be useful.

Ah well, at least he knew Township and all of its citizens – his friends – would be safe under her careful guidance, and her capabilities with magic, if it came down to the need of it. He shook the thoughts from his head. Now wasn't the time to muse over what had not yet come to pass. He would say his goodbyes, as quickly as possible, and be on his way. His fist rapped lightly on her door.

...There was no response.

He knocked softly once more.

...Still nothing.

"Nina?" he asked softly, but loud enough to be heard from within. He tried the door handle and found it unlocked. He slowly opened the door and poked his head inside. "Nina?" he asked again.

The blonde haired, black-winged woman was, indeed, in the room. She was standing by the window, still and silent, and if Ryu didn't know any better he probably would have guess she was asleep. However, this was not the case, as she turned her head slowly to regard him blankly.

He slid inside and shut the door softly behind him. "Just thought I'd come to say goodbye before I took off," he started.

She remained silent. He shifted uncomfortably. "So, er, well, goodbye, I guess. I'm not sure when I'll be back..." he trailed off. She had turned back to face the window and he found himself staring at the back of her head. His fingers drummed against his leg in... was it nervousness? Yes; most likely. Her silence was unnerving. He didn't like it much.

After a few long minutes of tense silence, he decided it was time to back out. "Well, goodbye then, I guess." He shuffled back and reached for the door handle. He didn't even have the door latch retracted yet when she softly, finally spoke.

"Ryu?" Nina's tone was just as nervous as he had felt.

He turned back to face her. She was facing him now, looking at him with that same blank look on her face. She wasn't even looking him in the eye.

He was just about to ask what she wanted, but her voice gently broke the silence once again. "Don't... don't forget about me, okay?"

He was startled by her words. "Nina, what do you mean?" his brow furrowed as he brought himself a pace closer. Her behaviour right now was curious. She was acting strange.

Her eyes darted up to meet his and he stopped dead in his tracks. His gaze was instantly locked with hers; he couldn't look away even if he wanted to.

Since she had spoken once, the words started to pour out, like some long held-back flood that had found a weakness in a dam, and had burst right through it. "Don't forget about me. Come back some day, okay? Don't be gone too long... I'll wait forever if I have to... just don't forget about me. Come back, and we'll go hunting like we always used to. You can use your sword and I can use my magic, and I'll be stronger – a lot stronger, I swear. That way, next time a demon as terrible as this one pulls you away, I can come too. Please... don't forget about me." Her eyes closed tightly and she bowed her head in shame at her emotional display.

Ryu blinked in confusion. What the...? What had all that been? It took him a few moments to register everything she had said. When he finally did, he almost laughed. He didn't know why, he juts... wanted to laugh. Not rude laughter, or even the kind of laughter that displays disbelief, he just wanted to laugh, and he wasn't sure why. Despite himself, he simply smiled. "Nina," he said softly. She didn't react. "Nina," he repeated. She slowly opened her eyes and looked back up at him.

"Of course I won't forget you." He continued to smile his sincere smile. She nodded slowly. Her face was no longer blank; it showed a mix of emotions, the ones of which Ryu could pick out easiest were confusion and sadness, and shame – like she hated herself for her little display.

He took a deep breath and spoke again. "I... I didn't want to take you with because... because I don't want to see you get hurt – or worse, killed – because of me. I don't want to put you through facing such a great danger... Nina, of all the people I've met since this crazy journey began, you... you're the one who keeps me grounded. You're my rock, Nina. You keep me sane like no one else can. And I know that when this crazy adventure is over, and everyone goes their own way, even if you go back to Windia, you'll still be there for me if ever I need you. And I do need you, Nina. But for now...

"For now I need you to stay here, right where you are. I need to know you're safe and well, and I need to know you'll be waiting for me, no matter how long I take. I need some reason to come back..." he paused to smile bitterly, "...else I don't know if I can save the world in all the ways I should. I couldn't even forget you if I _tried_. In the end, you're going to be the only reason I can pull myself through, the only reason I'll be able to bring myself back. This last leg of the journey... it won't be easy, not by any means. Nina..." he took a deep breath, "I could only ever hope that _you_ don't forget _me._"

He smiled bitterly again. Her face drained of any colour and she seemed completely stunned. Apparently, her tongue wasn't the only one that could just burst an emotional dam. Her cheeks started to turn rosy again and she nodded very, very slowly. "I won't forget you, Ryu, I never could," she whispered. "And, well, I said it earlier – I'll wait for you as long as I have to."

He felt like he could collapse. He had pretty much just poured out his soul to her, without even realizing he had done so. And she didn't hate him, she didn't tell him he was wrong, and she didn't turn her back on him. She acknowledged his words (his soul) and that was more than enough.

His smile changed to a bright, sincere one, and he suddenly extended his hand towards her. She looked at him quizzically. "Let's shake on it," he beamed. She still seemed confused. "Let's agree not to forget each other, and as soon as I get back – the very instant I return! – let's go hunting again, just like we always used to. Well, maybe I'll take a nap first, but... we'll go hunting."

She bit her lip, took a slow breath, slowly took a step forwards and shook his hand firmly. "And you'll use your sword and I'll use my magic."

His smile broadened, and this time, she was the one who couldn't tear her eyes away from his. "And when we do, you'll be a lot stronger. Promise?"

A slow, shy smile crept up on her lips as he mirrored her words. "I promise."

"Good." He cocked his head, his grin broadened, and before she could even start to wonder why his grip tightened on her hand and he pulled her towards him. His arms closed around her in a tight embrace, in what he hoped would not be the last time he saw his precious companion. After a shocked moment, her arms snaked around his waist and she hugged him back. It wasn't too long before he released her, still smiling. "I'm holding you to that. As a princess, your word is absolute. You better be stronger when I get back!"

Nina began to laugh; softly, at first, but her laughter rose. Tears began to well in her eyes and spill down her cheek, and Ryu couldn't be sure if they were happy tears or sad ones. "And your armour better still be in one piece, because healing spells aren't my thing."

He laughed, too, and for another brief moment the two embraced. He pulled away, towards the door. "Well, I better get going then. Don't cry too much, alright? I won't be here to help you stop."

She laughed and used the back of her hand to dry her eyes. "I'll try not, but if this town is suddenly in the ocean, you'll know I didn't do a good job on my own."

"I hope you don't, because I'm trusting you to keep this town safe from everything, floods included!" He laughed once more, and she chuckled along.

He left the room and neither said any form of goodbyes; at this point, they would be much too painful. Nina returned to her window, her eyes dry (mostly) of tears. A few minutes later she saw four small forms below walk, slither, and lumber away. Unconsciously, her hand draped along the cool glass. "Good luck, my friend. I'll be waiting for you."

_Fin._

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_Don't be afraid to review, I'll starve if you don't! Waaaugh!_

_And seriously, this is like, the closest thing to romance I've ever writen. omgsolame. _

_Anywho, flame if you want, because flames are nice and toasty and I need to keep myself feeling all warm [inside] somehow. _

_Ciao!_


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